Cookies You’ll Want to Bake Even When You Don’t Feel Like Baking

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Triple Play Peanut Butter Cookies

I love to bake.

I bake when I’m happy. I bake when I need to relax. I bake when I’m frustrated. I bake when I’m sad.

With just one exception.

Last year, when my Dad passed away on President’s Day, I stopped baking for months. It took awhile for me to even realize I hadn’t taken out my baking books like usual, leafed through recipes, stirred up cookie dough in a big mixing bowl, and baked spoonfuls of it on sheets in the oven with eager anticipation.

But when you’re numb, when your heart is broken, and your eyes still well with salty tears at every little memory, it’s hard to muster the strength to make anything in life sweet.

So for months, I didn’t bake. Didn’t even notice I wasn’t baking. Until one day, I started to miss it. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to do it, because I realized that every time I used to bake, I’d always share some with my Dad. It didn’t matter if it was cookies or muffins or brownies or fruit galettes or coffeecakes, I’d always save some for him. It didn’t matter that he lived an hour away. I’d just wrap some up carefully and store it safely in the freezer until I went to visit him and my Mom.

By far, my Dad and I had the biggest sweet tooths in the family. We both never met a chocolate bonbon we didn’t like. My Dad was known to enjoy a piece of pie before dinner, even if dinner was only an hour away. He thought of it as his version of an appetizer. And in the last years of his life and my Mom’s life, he kept a freezer full of ice cream — a ritualistic treat he would dish out for the two of them almost every night for dessert.

Months went by until I realized this cloistered, non-baking life was crazy. My Dad wouldn’t want me to act this way. And though he was physically gone, his spirit still was there, and probably wondering why the heck nothing sweet, warm, and sugary was coming out of my kitchen oven anymore.

So I started baking again. And I realized how much I had missed it. I think of my Dad often now when I’m trying out new baked goods recipes, such as this cookie one. I think he would have liked this one. His tastes were simple. He appreciated things that were done well. That’s what this cookie is all about: It’s a classic, beloved peanut butter cookie, only it’s just a bit more intense in flavor from the welcome additions of not only peanut butter chips, but dry-roasted salted peanuts, as well.

I may not be able to share them with my Dad anymore. But now I do the next best thing: I share them with you.

Triple Play Peanut Butter Cookies

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Pie? Oh My!

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Olson's cherry pie

It’s cherry season, when Food Gal’s fancy turns to cherry pie. Not just any cherry pie, though, but the one made by C.J. Olson’s Cherries stand in Sunnyvale.

The fruit stand, which has been in the same location since 1899, has weathered a lot of changes over the decades, including development all around it. But one thing hasn’t changed: During cherry season, you’ll find sweet, juicy, fresh cherries sold at the stand in abundance May through August, and November through February.

Deborah Olson, fourth generation owner/manager of the fruit stand, is a trained pastry chef. Is it any wonder then that her Bing cherry pie is the stuff of dreams? It boasts a super flaky crust, and the filling is bursting with cherries without being cloyingly sweet. When a pie is this good, it’s almost a waste of time to try to make one better yourself.

A 6-inch pie is $11.99, and available for shipping year-round. The 8-inch version ($17.99) and 10-inch one ($21.99) are offered only at the fruit stand.


Dosas: The Breakfast of Champions

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Dosas being made at Junnoon. Photo by Chris Schmauch.

They are at Palo Alto’s Junnoon restaurant, where dosas are the star of Saturday brunch.

The delicate South Indian crepes are made to order from a lentil-rice batter. At Junnoon, they get both traditional and modern takes. Enjoy one filled with mustard seed and curry-leaf flavored potatoes and grilled onions ($12); or one wrapped around Petaluma farm fresh eggs and sliced Kurobuta ham with avocado raita ($14).

Alongside, sip one of the specialty brunch cocktails ($9 each), such as mango mimosa or iced spiced chai (spiked with Captain Morgan spiced rum).

Brunch is served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

A modern take on a dosa. Photo by Chris Schmauch.

For Dads Who Love Meat and Cabs

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The Napa Valley’s Signorello Vineyards and Snake River Farms in Idaho has just the gift for you: “The Ultimate Luxury Food and Wine Experience.”

On Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and the winter holiday celebration, you’ll receive a shipment of Kobe beef and cab. Father’s Day, it’s four rib eye steaks and three bottles of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Valentine’s Day, it’s four tenderloin fillets and one bottle each of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, East Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon and Uvaggio. For the winter holidays, it’s a rib eye roast and one bottle each of the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Padrone  (Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon) and Meta.

But wait, there’s more: As a Kobe & Cabernet Club member, you’ll also receive a 15 percent discount on wine purchases throughout the year, a 10 percent discount on all Snake River Farms products throughout the year, invitations to members-only events at the winery, and special club member rates at the Yountville Inn in Yountville.

And the tab? The average cost of each shipment is $390. Big spenders who want more information, should click here.

World’s Most Expensive Father’s Day Gift

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If your Dad is a scotch connoisseur, then this may be the ultimate gift for Father’s Day:

A 5-day trip to Scotland complete with first-class air and helicopter transport; luxurious accomodations, including a stay at a private mansion; meals prepared by one of Scotland’s most acclaimed chefs; a round of golf at the famous St. Andrews Links; a bespoke kilt and family crest consultation; his own private butler during his stay; dinner at Inverrary Castle, home of the Duke of Argyle; a private blending session with Chivas Regal’s master blender; and five days of specialized whiskey tastings.

When Dad and his guest return home, they will receive their custom kilts; and two bottles of Chivas Regal 25-year-old scotch whiskey, one of which will arrive in a special case designed by Viscount David Linley, son of Princess Margaret.

That luxe Father’s Day gift is a mere $117,650.

The trip can be redeemed either Aug. 3-8 or Aug. 31- Sept. 5. Just contact Travelcorp International at (225) 231-4735 until June 16.  For more information, call (888) 332-2907.

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